STAR WARS: EPISODE IV - A NEW HOPE -- George Lucas, dir

©1977
studio: Twentieth Century Fox
production company: Lucasfilm, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
dir: George Lucas
cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Peter Cushing, Alec Guiness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew
screenplay: George Lucas

A farm boy on a backward planet becomes involved in a major, interplanetary rebellion, and rescues a princess and restores hope in an ancient order (the Jedi Knights).

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Ahhhh. The original.

This is the film that started the whole Star Wars/sf craze of the late '70's. For those of us who grew up with this series first, there just is no comparison. The story moves quickly, with plenty of action and excitement. The characters are familiar and seem like old friends. Yes, Luke has a touch of whiney-ness that we saw in his father in movie #2, but not nearly on such a scale.

In looking at it as part four of this six-part series, there are many problems and items which just don't line up. This is to be expected when the first film made is the middle of a longer story.

To combat this problem, director Lucas reworked some of this film, and that reworking is included on this DVD version. I'm not sure I needed to see Jabba the Hutt in this film just because he plays a significant role in other films. But here I admit that I can't becertain as to whether or not I'm being a "purist" and wanting my first film to stay that way, or if I truly find it distracting.

In any case, this is a MUST SEE film.

SKY HIGH -- Mike Mitchell, dir

©2005
studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
dir: Mike Mitchell
cast: Michael Angarano, Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Danielle Panabaker, Christopher Wynne, Kevin Heffernan, Dee Jay Daniels, Kelly Vitz, Loren Berman, Nicholas Braun
screenplay: Paul Hernandez and Robert Schooley

Set in a world where superheroes are commonly known and accepted, young Will Stronghold, the son of the Commander and Jetstream, tries to find a balance between being a normal teenager and an extraordinary being. [from IMDB.com]

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First, let's not foret that this is a Disney movie, full of moral and sweetness. That said, I really liked this movie. It was fun and managed to find a nice balance between a serious story with something to say, and not taking itself too seriously.

I would watch this movie again, and hope that my children ask me to look for it.

A fun, light movie with just enough sci-fi/comic-y elements to keep me interested.

Recommended.